This invention relates to an earth terminal for satellite communication systems.
The invention arose in the design of a road transportable terminal. A previous design had incorporated a circular antenna reflector of three meters diameter which, whilst large for the purposes of road transport, presented no insurmountable problems in this respect. However, with the increasing number of communication satellites it has now become necessary to use more highly directional antennas to prevent interference between different satellite communication systems.
In order to meet the requirement for improved directionality, a four meter diameter reflector was initially considered necessary but it soon became apparent that this could not be transported by road because of height limitations imposed by bridges and other overhead obstructions. Similar difficulties arise with air transport where a height limitation is imposed by the shape of the aircraft fuselage.